1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rehabilitation device, and more particularly to an upper extremity rehabilitation device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1 shows an upper extremity rehabilitation device as disclosed in Taiwan Patent Application No. 100129108, which comprises: a base 11, a drive unit 12, a swing arm 13 and a swing-arm-travel setting unit 14. The drive unit 12 is disposed on the base 11. The swing arm 13 is coupled to and driven by the drive unit 12 to perform reciprocating motion, so as to make the patient's upper limbs swing reciprocatingly. In addition to moving the patient's upper limbs reciprocatingly, the drive unit 12 also provides a resistance force to the swing arm 13, which can increase the patient's muscular endurance through the repeated reciprocating motion of the upper limbs. The travel setting unit 14 is disposed at a lateral surface of the drive unit 12 and located between the swing arm 13 and the drive unit 12 to set the travel length of the swing arm 13.
However, the freedom of motion of the abovementioned rehabilitation device is limited due to the fact that the swing arm is only allowed to move in a single plane to move back and forth or left and right, or rotate forward or backward.
FIG. 2 shows another upper extremity rehabilitation device with more degrees of freedom of motion, which is designed in the form of a mechanical exoskeleton and comprises plural linearly moving units 16 each of which being driven to move by a drive member. Each of the joints 17 is provided with sensors 18 to detect the amplitude, speed, number (and etc) of the swing motion of the patient's upper limbs. However, excessive drive members and sensors 18 not only increase the manufacturing cost but also reduce the competitiveness of the rehabilitation device.
The present invention is aimed to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages.